This invention relates to packaging, and more particularly to improvements in paperboard carton structure of the type used for dispensing sheet material in roll form.
Sheet material such as polymeric film used for wrapping has found wide usage, and a characteristic of one well known film of this type is that it sticks to itself or to smooth surfaces. This characteristic has its advantages in that it affords a self sealing overwrap for foods themselves or for containers in which foods are stored. The sticking characteristic, however, renders the film often difficult to dispense. For example, polymeric film of this type is provided in roll form in paperboard cartons of comparable dimensions to the roll. Typically, a carton has a hooded, pivotal lid provided with a serrated cutter bar that extends along the free edge of the lid. The free edge also normally includes a tear strip adherent to the front wall to seal the lid and protect the cutter bar during handling. Removal of the strip permits opening the carton and exposure of the cutter bar. The free end of the film is grasped while the lid is open, a desired length is unrolled by pulling the roll end, and the lid is closed to trap the film between the hood and the front of the carton. While thus held, the film is folded back over the cutter bar and pulled to tear it from the roll, leaving a new free end of the film disposed between the hood and the front of the carton.
It has been at this stage that there is a tendency of the film to retract into the carton, making it difficult for the subsequent user to grasp the free end of the film.
Efforts directed to overcoming these and other difficulties have taken a number of forms, examples of which are found in prior art (all U.S. Patents) as described in what follows:
U.S. Pat. No. 3,974,947 discloses a carton for dispensing polymeric film, wax paper, metal foil or the like from a roll including a front wall having an outer ply 46 and an inner ply 48 folded on line 50 and adhesively joined to the inner surface of the outer ply. An opening 54 in ply 46 exposes an adhesive material for retaining the film tail;
U.S. Pat. No. Re 19,134 discloses a carton for dispensing paper from a roll, including a hinged cover provided with a top flap 8 having a downturned front primary flap 10. A secondary flap 12 is hinged on the free edge of flap 10 and folded. The inherent resilience of flap 12 urges it against the front wall of the carton so that the free end of the paper is held between the flap and the wall;
U.S. Pat. No. 1,364,743 discloses a dispensing carton for waxed paper in roll form, including a finger opening 26 in cover 16 facilitating grasping of the free end of the paper to be dispensed;
U.S. Pat. No. 1,938,269 discloses a carton for dispensing waxed paper, or the like from a roll, including wall member 4 having a tab 16 cut therefrom capable of being manually resiliently biased into engagement with the free end of the paper while tearing, and upon release to accommodate self feeding of a small length of paper to facilitate grasping the free end for subsequent dispensing;
U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,137,424 and 3,549,066 disclose dispensing cartons for roll sheet material wherein a coating is provided on a portion of the carton to retain the free end of the material to be dispensed.
It is a general objective of this invention to provide an improved carton for facilitating the selective dispensing of predetermined lengths of sheet material from a roll within the carton.
It is a further, and more specific objective to provide an improved carton formed from a paperboard blank and facilitating dispensing of sheets of polymeric material therefrom.
In achievement of the foregoing as well as other objectives, the invention contemplates a paperboard carton formed from a suitably cut and scored blank, comprising:
rear, bottom, front, and side walls;
a hinged cover on said rear wall extending over the open top of said carton and including a downturned flap extending over said front wall;
a cutter bar on said downturned flap including a cutting edge substantially coextensive with the free edge thereof;
a flap on the upper edge of said front wall folded downwardly about said edge over the inside surface of said front wall and adhered thereto along a line of adherence substantially parallel to said upper edge and spaced therefrom; and
a tab in said front wall defined by a knife cut including a main portion extending parallel to said upper wall edge and disposed between said upper wall edge and said line of adherence, of said flap to said inside surface of front wall, said knife cut further including a pair of portions each extending from an end of said main portion transversely of its line of extent and terminating in the region between said line of adherence and said upper edge, said tab being urged pivotally outwardly from said flap by the inherent resilience of the paperboard folded along said edge;
the construction and arrangement of said carton being such that the free end of a contained film roll disposed between said front wall and said flap is, upon hingedly opening said carton, urged away from said front wall by the recited resilient pivotation of said tab, thereby facilitating grasping thereof.
The manner in which the objectives of the invention may best be achieved will be more fully understood from a consideration of the following description, taken with reference to the accompanying drawings.